The lights dimmed as credits began to roll. As the room hushed, Oscar Labovich sat back and watched his film appear on the big screen.

Labovich, a radio-television-film junior, spent his 2022 spring semester writing, directing, producing and editing a film of his own. His efforts led to the screening of his work “Mangia!” at the Kansas City Underground Film Festival Sept. 17, making his public filmmaking debut with the project. The film was chosen as one of five submissions from around the world to be highlighted during the festival’s horror showcase.

“I didn’t just want to post something on YouTube,” Labovich said. “I wanted to show it to people. I wanted to send it to festivals and see what the hell happens.”

Labovich said he grew up fascinated with movies at an early age, bonding with his dad over a passion for all things film. He said he recalls connecting with his dad over a shared love of Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin works.

When Labovich decided to make his film, he said called upon two close friends to work as his assistant directors — radio-television-film juniors Greyson Moore and Jazzy Anne.

Moore said when Labovich asked him to join the production team, he met the request with immediate excitement.

“The man is a walking film encyclopedia,” Moore said. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone in my entire life that knows as much about film as (Labovich). He’s seen every film ever, and he’s got a lot of really cool ideas” 

Anne also said she was excited to work on set with Labovich, offering the chance to collaborate with a close friend and someone with a shared passion for movie making. 

“This process really made me appreciate how cool it is to work on something with your friends because that is really rare in the industry,” Anne said. “I want to continue to work with people I admire in the future.”

Labovich said the true story that inspired his film follows his dad’s best friend, Anthony, and the time he cared for an injured bird while staying with his grandmother in Long Island, New York. After the bird disappeared, Anthony questioned his grandmother and discovered a heartbreaking realization — she ate the bird.

After learning of the bird’s fateful end, Anthony decided to get back at her by setting a faulty trap. While this plan marks the end of the true story of Anthony and his grandmother, it kickstarts the plot of “Mangia!” in which the main character successfully catches his grandmother.

“I thought it would be interesting if he did catch her,” Labovich said. “What if it didn’t end there? What would have happened? That’s what this film is about.”

Labovich and his team filmed “Mangia!” in the spring at an AirBnb that he rented for the weekend. He said that while the production team stumbled upon challenges during the filmmaking process, he looks back fondly on the overall experience. 

“(The finished product) means so much,” Labovich said. “I don’t see myself shooting on digital for a film I’m serious about again. It just makes the process real.”

When Labovich made it to the film festival and saw “Mangia!” on screen for the first time, he said he couldn’t believe the success of his project after seeing the physical reactions to his work play out in the crowd. 

“It felt surreal,” Labovich said. “All of these people are sitting in a theater in Kansas City about to watch my movie. How are we here?”